PARIS, France - Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today
announced several official launch events to celebrate the release
of its highly anticipated action–role-playing game,
Diablo
® III, with players around the world. On the
night of 14
th of May, key retail partners in the US, UK, France,
Germany, Sweden, Poland, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, and the
region of Taiwan will welcome gamers who want to be among the first
to purchase
Diablo III and lock horns with the Lord of Terror.

In the UK the official launch event will be hosted by Blizzard
and retail partner HMV at:

150 Oxford Street

Greater London

W1D 1DJ

Festivities will start at 22.00 BST on the 14
th of May. Gamers in attendance will enjoy an epic
evening of entertainment before
Diablo III goes on sale at 23.00 BST, including a variety
of giveaways and multiple contests with exclusive prizes from our
partners. In addition, members of the
Diablo III development team will be on site at each of the
official events to meet with players and sign their copies of the
game.

For more information on the global launch events, visit
http://eu.blizzard.com/en-en/company/events/d3-opening/.
In addition to the official UK launch event, other retail locations
around the country will open at 23.00 BST to support gamers looking
to pick up their copy of the game the moment it goes live. Please
check with your local retailers for further details.

Attendees at the official
Diablo III launch events will have the opportunity to
purchase
† the standard edition of the game as well as the
Collector’s Edition, which contains the following bonus items
in addition to the game disc:

Exclusive aesthetic artifacts for
Diablo III, as well as an exclusive
World of Warcraft
® in-game fetish shaman pet and exclusive
StarCraft
® II Battle.net
® portraits and army decal

A behind-the-scenes Blu-ray/DVD two-disc set with over an hour
of interviews detailing how the world of Sanctuary came
together

The Art of Diablo III, a 208-page art book that catalogues
numerous pieces of
Diablo III art, from early concepts to final 3D
renderings

The official
Diablo III soundtrack CD, containing 24 original pieces
from the game

A 4GB USB soulstone, preloaded with full versions of
Diablo II and
Diablo II: Lord of Destruction
®, and corresponding Diablo skull base

In
Diablo III, players assume the role of one of five heroic
characters - barbarian, witch doctor, wizard, monk or demon hunter
- and engage in pulse-pounding combat with endless legions of evil.
As they undertake an epic quest to rid Sanctuary from the
corrupting forces of the Burning Hells, players will explore
diverse and perilous settings, grow in experience and ability,
acquire artifacts of incredible power and meet key characters
who’ll join them in battle or aid them in other ways.
Diablo III was built from the ground up to leverage the
full functionality of Blizzard’s Battle.net platform, which
delivers powerful matchmaking and communication tools, allowing
players to seamlessly join forces for exciting cooperative
play.

For more information about
Diablo III, visit
http://www.diablo3.com. With multiple games in
development, Blizzard Entertainment has numerous positions
currently open - visit
http://jobs.blizzard.com for more information and
to learn how to apply.

† Limited to supplies on hand.

Based on internal company records.

About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

Best known for blockbuster hits including
World of Warcraft
® and the
Warcraft
®,
StarCraft®, and
Diablo® franchises, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (
www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision
Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), is a premier developer and publisher of
entertainment software renowned for creating some of the
industry’s most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard
Entertainment’s track record includes thirteen #1-selling
games and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company’s
online-gaming service, Battle.net
®, is one of the largest in the world, with millions
of active players.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements:
Information in this press release that involves Blizzard
Entertainment’s expectations, plans, intentions or strategies
regarding the future, including statements about the expected
release date of Diablo III are forward-looking statements that are
not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors
that could cause Blizzard Entertainment’s actual future
results to differ materially from those expressed in the
forward-looking statements set forth in this release include
unanticipated product delays and other factors identified in the
risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard’s most recent
annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on
Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based
upon information available to Blizzard Entertainment and Activision
Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Blizzard
Entertainment nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to
update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking
statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be
incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future
performance of Blizzard Entertainment or Activision Blizzard and
are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of
which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ
materially from current expectations.

###

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